The three pieces of instrumentation funded by this award will be the core of a Materials Characterization facility at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in the Civil & Environmental Engineering Department. The specific equipment and accompanying instruments have been selected to provide the maximum benefit to research users in the areas of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer and Information Systems, and Textile Sciences. The research applications will focus on next generation materials and recycled materials in structural/mechanical and environmental applications. Typical materials in order of expected use will include: composite materials, recycled materials, concrete, steel, titanium, aluminum, and soils. A specific example is to use the instruments for a current NSF project conducted by one of the Principal Investigators in testing hybrid titanium/high modulus carbon fiber composite laminates.
The specific equipment consists of a Material Testing Workstation (MTW) for characterizing mechanical properties, a Surface Area Analyzer (SAA), and an Energy Dispersive X-ray Microanalysis System (EDXMS) for determining the elemental composition of a material. The Materials Characterization facility will support the scholarly activities of the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering and the new Master of Science degree in Civil & Environmental Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. The concept of a Materials Characterization facility has provided an opportunity for faculty in the structures and environmental disciplines to collaborate on the common theme of materials even though these two disciplines seldom have common research interests. The realization of the facility will generate new thrusts in research in these two and many other disciplines by enabling an exchange of different perspectives and expertise.
The Civil & Environmental Department in College of Engineering of University of Massachusetts Dartmouth began a Master of Science program in the Fall of 2004. The instrumentation acquired through this award will be key components to bring the current strengths of the faculty to the next level in the common theme area of Materials Characterization. Graduate and undergraduate research assistants will directly benefit from their exposure to the cutting edge equipment. Furthermore, the multiple use of this equipment by different departments in the College will enhance the multidisciplinary research projects. The impact from current/targeted projects includes the greater recycling of waste materials, the development of new advanced materials and the improvement of safety (fire resistance and railroad protection).
